ZARAND, Iran, Feb. 23 (Xinhuanet) -- Tuesday's strong quake in southeastern Iran has killed at least 450 people, and the Interior Ministry said the toll might climb to 500, the state television reported Wednesday.

    The earthquake hit the Zarand region of the southeastern province of Kerman, destroying several villages and affecting more than 40.

    According to the seismological base of Tehran University's Geophysics Institute, the tremor, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, occurred at 05:55 a.m. (0225 GMT) and the epicenter was located on the outskirts of Zarand.

    The state television said there were also some people killed in the quake inside Zarand city.

    In Sarbah, one of the most damaged villages, houses, built with earth bricks, have all been toppled in the quake, and the survivors told Xinhua that except for several early risers, all of the others were buried under debris.

    Villagers complained that local government failed to provide sufficient and prompt aid, which forced them to sustain the cold weather and rainfall.

    "We are in desperate need of tents, water and food. We need the government's help. However, until now we have not seen even a single official coming here," one of them told Xinhua.

    There were only a few rescuers of the Red Crescent helping the survivors. They had brought some tents, but far from enough. Many villagers had to find pieces of blankets or rugs to make shelters on the muddy ground.

    Even though, some people still had nothing to fend off the cold wind.

    Scores of aftershocks have been reported since the major quake, which also shook the neighboring cities of Yazd, Meybod and Behabad.

    The Zarand region is about 200 km northwest of Bam, where some 262,000 people were killed in December 2003 by a quake measuring 6.8.

    Iran is situated on some of the world's most active seismic fault lines and quakes of varying magnitudes frequently strike the country. Enditem